Overview
- The city council approved an order for the administration to draft a concept for compulsory community tasks for asylum seekers, with no immediate implementation.
- The planned framework cites the Asylbewerberleistungsgesetz, which sets a 0.80-euro hourly allowance and allows benefit cuts if offers are refused without valid reason.
- The resolution also directs the city to lobby for federal changes that would speed asylum seekers’ entry into the regular labor market.
- Mayor Frank Klingebiel says the measure should not be seen as forced labor, while the Flüchtlingsrat Niedersachsen argues it is counterproductive and treats refugees as cheap labor.
- Regional and state reactions are mixed, with Peine adopting a similar rule, Braunschweig rejecting one, Helmstedt scheduling a vote, and CDU leaders backing trials as Greens oppose and SPD leaders call for broader debate.